Sensation of Speed

Published by: 2Wheeltips on 29th Jun 2010 | View all blogs by 2Wheeltips

One of the things I hear new riders talk about all the time is how much faster it seems they are moving on a bike, when in many cases, they are riding below the speed limit and cars are passing them.

One of the things I tell them is riding in a car is much different than riding a motorcycle. In a car you are isolated and can not accurately judge your speed. On a motorcycle, you are out in the open and the ground is rushing by a few inches beneath your feet. For a newbie, getting an accurate "feel" for how fast 55mph is can be scary and troubling.  If you are going to become a decent rider, it is something you will have to get used to.


So, how do you get comfortable with riding at highway speeds? Well....practice makes perfect. The more you ride, the faster you will you get used to it. We are not saying you should go out on a major freeway and hit the gas, but once you get comfortable riding around the neighborhood streets you need to spend some time on some major roads. Another thing that can help you is to keep your head up and look down the road where you want to go and not down at your feet or in front of the bike. We have a video on this so you can see the difference keeping your head up makes. http://www.2wheeltips.com/videos/view/keep-your-head-up_156.html?m=9


And finally, never rider faster than your skills allow. Now is the time to learn and build your motorcycle skills. Once you've mastered the basics, you will have plenty of time to ride fast if that's what you want to do. If you try to burn up the road before you are ready, you may end up a motorcycle statistic.

Comments

3 Comments

  • CatDoug
    by CatDoug 1 year ago
    Perfect timing on this blog. I'm a new rider and just rode to work for the first time today, which included some highway miles. I definitely felt like I was going faster than I actually was. I started getting used to it by the end of the ride, but I can tell it will take a while before I feel really comfortable on the highway. I still had a smile on, but it was a cautious one for sure. Thanks for the blog!
  • dom57
    by dom57 1 year ago
    CatDoug welcome on board, I know your feeling I started to ride 3 years ago at age 50 now I am 53 and loving the ride more then ever I am just sorry I didn't start 20 years ago and BTW speed on a motorcycle is scary at first but as you get used to it you will enjoy going faster
  • 2Wheeltips
    by 2Wheeltips 1 year ago
    CatDoug,

    If you ride a powerful sport bike or sport touring bike, next on the list is getting used to the extreme acceleration these bikes are capable of. They can rocket you up to 100mph+ in a few seconds. It takes some getting used to.I suppose there is always something to learn.
Please login or sign up to post on this network.
Click here to sign up now.